Colégio de Aplicação e Escola Técnica da Universidade Federal do Maranhão (COLUN/UFMA): a práxis da gestão escolar

Abstract

This study is titled “University Laboratory and Technical School of the Federal University of Maranhão (Colun/UFMA): the praxis of school management” It aims to analyze the management praxis developed at Colun from 2022 to 2025. The study is guided by the following research question: How is school management developed at Colun/UFMA? Initially, it is assumed that this management develops within a context of contradiction, revealed by the conflict between the proclaimed rhetoric of democratic public education management and the praxis of the managerial model in education. The investigation adopts a critical-dialectical approach and uses document analysis and interviews as its main research techniques. The theoretical framework is grounded in authors such as Saviani (1984), Dourado (2007), Sander (2007), Russo (2004), Paro (2012) and Souza (2025), among others, as well as in legal regulations and official documents that regulate and guide school management practices. For data systematization, the study draws on the content analysis perspective proposed by Bardin (2016). As a Technological and Technical Product, the study includes the development of an instructional booklet entitled “Day-to-Day School Management”, aimed at guiding and promoting democratic management practices in schools. The booklet may be distributed in print or as a digital book. The findings indicate that, although official documents and the statements of research participants refer to dialogical and democratic principles and practices, school management at Colun/UFMA still retains deeply rooted practices associated with the managerial paradigm, characterized by hierarchical processes, limitations on decision-making autonomy, and fragmentation of school management actions.